


Change in Direction

by LuciaWilt



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Gore, Canon-Typical Violence, Deal with a Devil, F/F, F/M, Genderbending, Sexual Content, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:35:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26797465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuciaWilt/pseuds/LuciaWilt
Summary: ...she would turn and spot Lambert and that little Fraldarius girl trouncing about. She wanted to vomit just thinking about it; spotting them out in the courtyard performing an old Sreng folkdance for Dimitri and the other Faerghus noble children. They had laughed and smiled and blushed; the song ending with Glenn looking up at Lambert like he was her entire world...
Relationships: Hapi/Glenn Fraldarius, Lambert Egitte Blaiddyd/Glenn Fraldarius





	Change in Direction

**Author's Note:**

> OH MY GOD I FINALLY FINISHED IT. Here it is, the thing that literally nobody asked for nor what anybody ships! So anyways, here is my super self indulgent fic. 
> 
> [ Change in Direction Playlist ](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSE-TM5g393RmxknmYFlN2mTAIKwyLyWk)
> 
> [ Change in Direction Aesthetic Board ](https://www.pinterest.com/gingerreader/change-in-direction-fic-board/)

_1169_

She was nothing but a youth when she first met Lambert Egitte Blaiddyd; the King of Faerghus. Her King. Her…her everything. However, that would not come to her mind until much later. All those years ago, Glenn never could have even imagined how it would change her. Of course, being the heir to House Fraldarius, she was expected to make contact with the royal family sooner or later. It was just that the magnitude of how it would alter the course her life was incomprehensible. 

“We should set up another meeting for Glenn and Balthus soon dear.” Glenn’s mother Anya said. Rodrigue shifted in his seat, reading through some papers that had to do with crops or something; Glenn had only a brief glance at it when she first entered the carriage in Albrecht territory. 

“Hmm…” Rodrigue hummed as he flipped the paper once, twice, then set the booklet beside him on the bench. When he looked up, he was smiling at Glenn. 

While both her parents adored her, Glenn’s father clearly favored her. Perhaps it was because she was his eldest child, perhaps it was because she was to be the one to take over the Fraldarius household when the time came; she never would find out. Though even then she had been slightly annoyed by his actions; what with Felix being a young man himself then. Rodrigue loved both his children, but anyone with a brain could tell who he liked more. “What do you think of Balthus, Glenn?” Rodrigue asked, knowing full well what her answer would be before she spoke. 

The heir to the Fraldarius title gave a dramatic sigh, shrugging her shoulders in a rather un-lady like manner. “He was nothing but a brute. Kind, but clearly he has more muscle than brains.”

“Glenn! How rude.” Of course, Anya was being serious; though only partially. They could all clearly hear the humorous note in her voice as she “slapped” the back of Glenn’s hand. 

Glenn knew she was not the only one that felt that way about the oldest Albrecht boy. He was kind and sweet, but clearly his mind was more attached to the idea of making money and swinging his fist then solving the issues of the people that lived on his family’s land’s. 

Conversation moved away from her visiting Alliance lands again, at least for the time being. The three of them spoke on different things at the carriage continued through the quiet country side, snow continuing to fall around them. Anya gave Glenn updates on how Felix was fairing, telling the young girl that her brother often cried for her; calling for Glenn constantly while she was gone. 

“I shall simply give him the wettest kiss on his cheek when I get back!” Glenn laughed. It felt good for her to be back with her family; having missed them terribly when she was in Alliance territory. 

After a while, the conversation lulled into a comfortable silence, simply allowing Glenn to observe the passing forest out the window. The Kingdom truly was a sight to behold in the winter. 

But…

“Where are we going?” She suddenly realized it was not the old route back to their home. When she turned to look at her parents, her mother simply made a face Glenn could not pinpoint, so she glanced to her father. He was clearly smiling, a warm expression that was pointed out the other side of the carriage before he turned and looked at her.

“I want you to meet a dear friend of mind Glenn.” 

It was all he said the entire rest of the way to the capitol of Fhirdiad! She felt a strange sense of nervousness rising in her chest as they passed the rest of the civilian homes, going right up to the castle gates and into the large entrance courtyard. Glenn was stunned silent as they exited the carriage. 

Like the rest of the country, the castle had to be even more beautiful in the snow; even if this was the first time she had ever seen it. The spires crawled towards the sky; different beautiful winged creatures carved into the stone that were covered in snow. Along the actual walls of the castle, there were giant stained-glass windows that she would find more appropriate at Garreg Mach Monastery. Nevertheless, she followed her father and mother up the stairs and into the warmth of the castle, passing different guards. 

There were others, she could these men and women were special. These were the Knights of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus; the people that protected the royal family with their very lives. She felt like she was passing by royalty in and of itself. These people were righteous, the strong and the brave. 

These people answered to her father; the head of the Knights. It made her heart race, knowing that her own blood was so strong. Her father was a vision for her own future. If she could come within reach of his ideals, she knew she could become half the person he was. 

“Gustave! What a pleasure to run into you here!” Rodrigue’s voice cut through her thoughts and stopped her before she could run right into the back of her mother’s legs. Looking around her, Glenn spotted the man her father was speaking to. Was this who he wanted her to meet? He had to be a Knight, at least by identifying the armor he wore. 

He was a big man, bigger than Glenn’s father. With a shocking head of red hair, his skin contrasted against most others in the hall with them; darker. He had to be from the south of the kingdom where they got the most sun. “Rodrigue. How are you doing?” They clasped hands before separating. That was when the man spotted both Anya and Glenn. “Oh? This must be your daughter. You have spoken so much about her I felt as though I have known her for years.” Gustave walked over slowly, like he knew Glenn was all confused by their sudden appearance at the capitol, before kneeling before her. 

“It is an honor to finally meet you. I am Gustave Eddie Dominic; Baron of the Dominic household.” He finished before standing. Finding all that etiquette training finally coming to good use, especially since most of her time alone with Balthus consisted of sparring, she curtsied; holding her blue skirt out as she bowed. 

“The honor is mind Baron Dominic. My father spoke of me meeting you on the carriage ride here. My name is Glenn Fraldarius.” She finished, standing and once again feeling that anxiety peak in her stomach. Gustave was not looking at her; instead giving her father a strange look, similar to the one Anya had shot at him in the carriage. It caused Glenn to glance back and forth between the two men. 

“Rodrigue.” It was close to a growl on the Baron’s part and she was almost worried if it were not for her father’s sheepishly happy expression. “You did not tell her?” 

Her father did not respond, simply nodding at the Baron one last time before leading Glenn and her mother further into the castle. Down what seemed like endless hallways they went until they arrived at a large set of doors. 

All the while, Glenn’s eyes were roaming every square inch of space she could look at. It was the first time she had ever been to the castle, and as much as she wanted to slowly observe everything, her father was rushing her; seemingly excited like a young man to show her whoever it was. Nevertheless, in they went; Glenn still rapidly looking around the grand hall they had just entered. There were giant banners hanging along the walls, some holding the crest of House Blaiddyd; some showing giant scenes of battle, others still portraits of the House’s ancestors. Glenn noted the likes of Klaus I and even Loog; the founder and first king of Faerghus. 

“Rodrigue, my dear friend. You did not tell me you would be visiting.” A voice, so deep and warm, called from the front of the room. 

When Glenn finally turned to see who it was, she felt her face drain of blood; her knees rapidly going weak. Without a second thought she collapsed to the ground and pressed her face to the floor in front of her. “My King!” She gasped. 

Everything around her was muffled, like balls of wet cotton had been stuck into her ears. It could not be possible she had acted in such a way right in front of the King of Faerghus; to not be alert at all time. Of course, she knew her father was childhood friends with Lambert Egitte Blaiddyd, but she did not think he would spring such a meeting on her! She was still dressed in her traveling clothes; simple brown leather leggings, her long blue skirt with slits on either side for easier mobility, and a plain white tunic. All of it was covered by her plain brown cloak. 

Glenn’s face could not have been redder as the quiet sound of riding boots approached her. Damn her father! Damn him for not allowing her to dress more appropriately for such an occasion! Surely the king would be upset! She had heard he was a kind man but there had to be a limit to his generosity. 

“Now there is no need for such a display.” It was him. It was Lambert, the king, that leaned down; gently taking her elbow in his large gloved hand. Like some divine being that blessed the regular humans that walked the earth, the king guided her back to her feet. For the first time in Glenn’s life, her eyes caught Lambert’s, having to look up for he was perhaps a full foot taller than her. 

In that moment, her entire life changed. If Lambert Egitte Blaiddyd was not holding her elbow, she surely would have collapsed back to the ground; completely passed out from the sudden onslaught of love and affection she felt for this man. Her heart was beating out of her chest and Glenn could only flush harder. He had to hear it, to feel it in the pulse he was holding on her arm. Lambert was everything and more. Glenn would find out later in her life that he would embody every ideal and virtue she wished to uphold in the world; but in that moment she was blown away by him simply standing before her. 

“My apologizes.” Glenn heard her father walk up beside them but could not tear her eyes away from Lambert. His thumb brushed once, twice, over her arm before pulling away with a pat against her shoulder. She was blown away, unable to look away from him as Lambert turned towards Rodrigue.

“You always have played some cruel little pranks on everyone Rodrigue.” His laugh! Glenn felt herself heat up even more. Surely, she had died. Surely, she had passed out and smacked her head against the ground. Lambert was too beautiful, too good to be real!

It was her father this time that took hold of her arm; finally snapping her out of her daze. “It was cruel of me, I will admit that. However, Glenn is strong willed. Plus, it was as good time as any for her to finally meet you. Glenn, I would like to formally introduce you to Lamebrt Egitte Blaiddyd, King of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. Once you join this Knights, you shall be working directly under him. When Dimitri, the crowned prince, comes of age, you shall be his shield.” She squashed the thoughts that popped up in her head about what ‘working under him’ insinuated; they were not productive to the current social situation. Plus her mother would be scandalized she thought of such a thing, even with how socially liberal they were. 

“It is an honor your majesty.” She said, bowing this time. When she straightened, the King was giving her a soft smile which she attempted to return; though she was sure it was as twitchy as she felt. “I am Glenn Fraldarius.”

“So polite.” Lambert said with a closed eyed smile and she truly wondered if she would ever stop flushing in his presence. It was so strange; like he put a spell on her the moment she caught sight of him. Her mind filled with visions of lions imprinting on one another; though she could not be further from a lion. Glenn was more akin to a reindeer than a ferocious lion. “OH? And what perfect timing.” His eyes had switched to her form to something over her shoulder, causing Glenn to turn to see what he was looking at. 

A young man had walked in, perhaps the same age as Felix if not a year or two older. He could be no one but Lambert’s flesh and blood. 

It had to be the crowned prince Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd. 

The young blonde hesitantly walked over, bowing once he got to his fathers’ side; the King just laughing quietly before placing a warm hand on his sons’ shoulder. “Dimitri, I want you to meet Glenn Fraldarius. She shall be your personal guard once you take the throne.” 

Big blue eyes, a mirror of his fathers, looked up at her. He was a beautiful young boy; Glenn wondering what the queen consort looked like before she died in child birth. She had to have been ethereal just like her husband. Dimitri, as polite as could be, gave her a shy smile and took her hand in his. Glenn tried not to think about how they were nearly the same height and he was about 5 to 6 years younger than her as he kissed her knuckles. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Glenn!” 

Glenn smiled, bowing again. “The pleasure is mine Prince Dimitri.” 

~’~

_1170_

One year after meeting King Lambert, Glenn enrolled in the Fhirdiad School of Sorcery. While it was not practiced like the sword and the spear; many in the Fraldarius bloodline had a talent for reason and magic. There were many reasons why she joined the famed school; the list running on and on. 

She wished to be closer to King Lambert. The school was in Fhirdiad; only a few miles from the city proper, and the castle itself. If she were to go to the School of Sorcery, she could spend all her extra time training with the knights at the castle. Before long, she would be knighted herself; then she would never have to leave his side. The ideals he brought at his station were too special and precious to not be protected at all costs to herself and everyone around her. 

Glenn also wanted to be as of much use to the king as she possibly could. While the history of Faerghus itself, going all the way back to Blaiddyd, lent towards dark knights skilled in reason and holy knights to heal the weak, many of the warriors working for King Lambert were unable to fight with the magical arts. Her father was one of the few she could think of; after having gone through manuscript after manuscript of names when they returned back to their home in Fraldarius territory. 

“I don’t want you to go!” Their entire family had returned to the capitol, escorting Glenn to the dormitories on the grounds. Felix had cried nearly the whole way there, sobbing quietly into their mother’s stomach and only growing louder as they neared the gates of the school. To her, and even Rodrigue’s surprise, they were met by both the King and Dimitri. Thankfully, Glenn stayed standing this time around; watching as Felix clicked right away with the young blonde. Now instead of crying into his mother’s skirts, he was clinging desperately to the young prince’s cape; sobbing and pleading for Glenn not to attend. 

Dimitri all the while was soothing the younger Fraldarius; seeming to have connected with Felix as well. How odd, she thought to herself while holding her small satchel of belongings; mainly her magical equipment. Dimitri apparently felt something akin to what she was experiencing with the King. The young blonde prince did not once let go of Felix’s hand as they followed after the adults. 

King Lambert looked up as his son and Felix stopped behind them. Before he spoke with the others, he knelt before the sobbing Fraldarius child. “I know you shall miss your sister dearly. If I were in your position, if I had such a wonderful young woman as my partner in crime,” He paused, touching the tip of his finger against Felix’s nose. Meanwhile, everyone aside from Rodrigue and Anya watched, stunned. The King’s hand began to glow a pale blue color. It reached up his fingers and rushed up his wrist to his arm until the entire limb was iridescent. “I would wish to be with her always. You must know, however, that she will become stronger during her time here.” King Lambert brought his hand to where both Dimitri and Felix could see it. 

With his palm facing up, what appeared to be a blueish flame began to form in the center. The King then gently took Felix’s small hand; pale and ghostly white in the King’s black gloved palm, up to the flame. Young Felix flinched at first, then a grin split on his tear stained face; King Lambert gently letting the glowing ball fall into Felix’s hand. After that, no tears seemed to slip from his eyes. “She will learn many things; not only to protect you and your family, but this kingdom as well. Your sister is doing something incredibly brave and honorable; of course, your feelings of wishing to be with her always are valid young Felix, but you must know it is alright to feel proud of what she is doing as well.” 

When he stood, both Dimitri and Felix were more than occupied with the glowing blue ball in Felix’s hands. “I had no idea your majesty. You were not in the papers detailing those that were holy knights or otherwise.” The words escaped Glenn’s mouth before she could stop them. King Lambert smiled and laughed, a full bellied thing before placing his hand on her back and guiding them through the halls again. As they walked, he spoke quietly with her; though loud enough for Rodrigue and Anya to interject if they wished to. 

Later that night, if Glenn had dreams of Lambert Blaiddyd speaking just to her, she would tell no one. “Your father and I actually attended this school together before entering Garreg Mach Monastery’s officer’s academy.” Their journey down the hallways was slowly coming to an end; growing closer and closer to what she knew was her room she would be staying in for the period of her studies. She felt like she wanted to blend into his side; to never leave, to never let him leave. It was a striking and sudden thought, confusing her as much as it made her flush. 

In the past she had never been a covetous person. She had never really even been romantically interested in anyone. Ever since she met the King, it seemed like the rug had been pulled right out from beneath her. “Many on the court, when my father was still King, thought it best that I keep my more “magically inclined” abilities a secret. ‘A weapon your enemy knows nothing about is the best one of all’ as they say.” He finished with a small chuckle, his hand leaving the center of her back to squeeze her shoulder. She shifted when they stopped in front of her room. 

Of course he would not enter. For a male other than someone related to her by blood to enter her room, even the King of Faerghus himself, would be seen as rather scandalous. “If you ever need help with your course work, do not be afraid to come to me since you are so close to the castle; I had to tackle all this as well after all.” He laughed, patting her shoulder again. Glenn noticed the small smile on her mother’s lips, a strange emotion she could not place. That seemed to be a pattern with Anya as of late; and Glenn wondered if she should be worried, but tried not to think about it. Her father looked pleased by the proceedings by his childhood friend and Glenn. 

For a moment, there was a comfortable silence that settled over them, letting Glenn glance through the door to her new room. It was simple, waiting for her to fill it with staves, gems, herbs, incense, and statuettes. It would be lonely, knowing that Felix and her mother would be back at their home; her father traveling back and forth between the capitol and the manor. She would presumably know no one at the school; alone among the wolves. 

Yet…yet King Lambert did say she could visit when she needed help with her work. She wondered if that invitation perhaps extended to just needing to see a familiar face; even if she could just spend time with the Prince. It seemed selfish of her, she knew that, but it was a selfish desire that Glenn could allow herself once in a while. 

A now familiar leather gloved hand snapped her out of her reverie into the future; taking her hand in his. She turned about, trying not to linger on how her parents seemed to vanish. They had said something or other about speaking with the leaders of the school for…something, on their carriage ride to Fhirdiad.

Shockingly icy blue eyes met widened hazel. “Your Majesty?” Glenn felt her voice; just a whisper in the wind, standing there with her palm in his. When he brought his other hand up, she felt a warm twist in her stomach seeing how small hers was in his. 

His smile was so heartfelt that she nearly lost the strength in her knees looking at it; nearly had to shield her eyes. “I wish for you to have this.” He said, reaching into his pockets. Looking down at what he was doing, his eyelashes brushed the top of his cheeks; like long golden strands of spun silk. Glenn was entranced and nearly missed what he had placed in her palm. 

At first he had slowly wrapped her fingers around the small metal disk; a chain hanging off one end out of her fist. It gave him time to step back and watch her as she examined what he had placed in her palm. 

It was indeed a necklace, as she suspected from the thin gold chain. The medallion itself was not large, barely an inch and a half across; though the detail was fine and clear. There were concentric circles, bisected twelve times clearly for the twelve moons. In the smaller circle, the numbers 1-12 lined the ring. On the outer edge of the medallion, the symbols for each moon sat in the twelve quadrants and there were geometric and fine lines that indicated astronomical constellations. 

She was at a complete loss for words. Unable to speak, she made small confused noises in the back of her throat as she looked up at him. Further down the hallway, she could still hear Felix and Dimitri playing with the magic energy, completely unaware that Glenn felt her entire world shifting once again. 

Unlike with her mother, Glenn could spot the emotions riddling the King’s face. He seemed proud, anxious; but also, a little saddened. “I see greatness within you Glenn Fraldarius. I know that you shall rattle the stars in the coming years; more so than I ever did, so you will get more use out of this than I.” 

“I…I-I.” Glenn stuttered and King Lambert just smiled again. There was a youthful air about him, relaxed unlike the first day she met him the year prior. There had been times when she and her father would visit the capitol; times when she would be able to speak with the King both on her own for a few moments and with her father, much more often. 

In the past year she felt as though she could consider the King something of an acquaintance. Perhaps even a friend in the coming years. 

It did not explain the gift. 

Yet the King just shrugged. “It is a Blaiddyd medallion; it has been passed down by for some time.” Little did she know, and what he was not telling her, was that it had been created by Blaiddyd himself when fighting with Nemesis so long ago. The King thought it best to keep that to himself. When she tried to give it back to him, flushed in the face with wild unsure eyes, King Lambert laughed louder this time. Both Rodrigue, Anya, and the two boys were walking back down the hallway towards them as he threw his hands up. “Finders keepers Glenn!” 

It was a boyish act of defiance that got a laugh out of everyone there, even Glenn who quietly chuckled to herself. It was hard, as everyone reconvened and discussed what was going to happen for the rest of the day from there, for her not to shout about what had just been handed over to her. If he were anyone else, she would do just that, etiquette be damned. But it was the king that was standing before her, King Lambert in all of his giant glory. 

So instead she just pushed the medallion into her satchel and once again pushed down her wildly out of control feelings. 

Just one year into her time at the school she was knighted. It was a day before her 16th cycle and her entire family was there, just as she wanted. 

Felix cried quietly as King Lambert knighted her, though this time he seemed to be crying tears of joy right along side Prince Dimitri; the two of them hugging and nearly cuddling as they watched.

In that year, she spent nearly all of her time at the castle; all of her time speaking and spending time with the King of Faerghus. It did not take long for her to realize they had become quick friends, and that was not just her teenage-hormone addled mind speaking. The King actually divulged much to her; asking her opinion on political topics ranging far and wide. 

There were also times she would spend the day training right along side King Lambert; both in sword play as well as sorcery. Dimitri would often join them which allowed her to grow close to the crowned Prince as well. 

The days bled together; every new second she spent getting to know her King feeling like the best moment of her life. He was everything she wished for the world she lived in; kind, honorable, just, handsome, and righteous. Glenn knew, as Areadbhar lifted form her shoulder, that she would follow the man before her, happily, into the Eternal Flames. 

All he would have to do was ask. 

~’~

_1173_

Glenn’s first impressions of Cornelia had been... relatively neutral to say the least. Growing up, Glenn had very few interactions with citizens of the Empire. Each country, while letting travelers come and go between their borders, tended to keep to themselves. It was likely due to all the years upon years upon YEARS of violence and war that had predated their current time. Kingdom citizens and Alliance citizens actually enjoyed each other’s company. Often times, at least to Glenn’s point of view, the people of the Empire acted as though they were too ‘good’ to interact with everyone else on the continent of Fódlan. 

So when King Lambert came strolling into the grand meeting hall in the castle, all the head Knights already there, Glenn had her suspicions. The woman, beautiful and regal on her own, seemed polite to a fault. She had a big smile; a quiet and breathy voice as King Lambert let her explain her purpose in Fhirdiad. Cornelia was to be the physician and court mage to the royal family; i.e., Dimitri and the King. Not only that, but she would be helping oversee the infrastructure of the Kingdom and help with the current plague that was sweeping the northern reaches of their lands. 

It was, well…it was a striking amount of work that she was to oversee. To say it was unexpected for King Lambert to give that much oversight to one mage was understating that statement. However, Glenn also had to look at it from his side. Many of the mages that attended the school of sorcery in Fhirdiad were not native to the Kingdom. Most went back to their homes in Dagda, Sreng, and the Alliance. While Blaiddyd and Loog were mighty sorcerers in their own right, many within the Kingdom did not follow in their founder’s footsteps. The Holy Kingdom of Faerghus honestly needed as much help as they could get. 

Glenn could also readily admit that she was interested to learn from Cornelia. She was apparently a powerful mage from the Empire; and if Glenn could get more help protecting the King and the Prince, then well all the better. 

So at the end of the meeting, after all the other Knights had filed out of the large room, Glenn quickly made her way over to Cornelia’s side. Thankfully, her King was speaking quietly with the other woman; it would make it easier to ask for tutelage if he were there, especially since he tended to say yes to most things she asked for. 

Hey, Glenn would never deny the fact King Lambert had a soft spot for her. Ever since she graduated from the Fhirdiad School of Sorcery, the two just grew closer and closer. There was rarely a day that went by where they did not spend a majority of their time side by side. 

“Just the woman I was wanting to speak with.” King Lambert said as Glenn stopped beside them. She bowed quickly, as was customary for a greeting with the King of Faerghus, even for someone as close as her. When she straightened out, she looked at him first. As they years went by, he still had that boyish charm; it just sharpened into something more and more mature with each passing day. One of the largest changes that had occurred was the facial hair he decided to keep, and the large hair cute; cropping his once shoulder length blonde locks short. 

Finally Glenn turned towards Cornelia. She was far more stunning up close; tall and elegant, a far cry from Glenn herself. It was clear Glenn took after her mother in stature at least. She hit 5’3” and never grew again; meanwhile both Cornelia and the King towered over her by at least a foot. 

“I see what you were saying your majesty!” Cornelia exclaimed with a fox like smile. “She is beautiful; and the magical potential is great.” Glenn blinked; not quite comprehending what Cornelia had just said. When she glanced at the King, she tried not to think about how his usually pale face was flushed; and she DEFINIETLY did not ponder how he awkwardly laughed at the mage’s words. 

“Yes well, I was only being truthful. However, we should not get off topic Cornelia. Glenn attended and graduated from the school here in Fhirdiad. Being one of the best mages in the country herself, I was hoping that you would help her grow even more.” So, it seemed as though he beat her to the punch; which was not quite a bad thing. It meant she would not have to nearly beg for Cornelia’s help. 

All the while, Cornelia’s eyes never left Glenn’s form. She observed her, watched Glenn as Glenn watched the King; clearly taking note of every single little detail Glenn let show on her face. When the two Faerghus knights finally turned back to Cornelia, the woman smiled. “But of course. I would be honored to help out a fellow mage.” 

King Lambert, being the ever trusting and open person he was, almost leaped into the air out of happiness and joy. Containing himself, he turned and brought Glenn into a tight hug; one of his gloved hands cupping the back of her head. When he pulled back, Glenn could tell he was bordering on cupping her cheek as he had done once or twice in the past year, but he stopped himself. 

That was something she had been taking note of quite a bit; how…how touchy feely he seemed to have become since she had been knighted and all but moved into the castle. He was nice to everyone, all of his people and his Knights, but there was something different in the way he interacted with her. 

There was something different in the way his eyes would warm as she spoke to him, something different in the way he would drop everything and anything for her; how he would walk just that much closer to her side. Glenn could see, and feel, how he hovered, and she was not complaining in the slightest. If anything, Glenn tended to reciprocate as much as she could. 

Perhaps it was the little girl inside of her, unaware of her true dreams to be a knight, still wishing to be swept off her feet. The idea of marrying the King had a warm feeling growing inside of her; one that she knew could never be acted upon. 

“Wonderful! You can show Glenn to your suite. I will leave the two of you to it. Once you are done there, you can report back to me; but please, take your time Glenn.” King Lambert finished before pulling away, their hands clasped in a lingering embrace, before he left the room. 

Oh how she wished to tell him; to divulge all her true feelings. There were little signs here and there that she thought meant her feelings could possibly be reciprocated. Yet…yet she knew deep down it could not be true. “Well,” Glenn turned back towards Cornelia and nearly did a double take, the rest of her sentence sputtering out. 

While the look that had been on Cornelia’s face vanished before Glenn could really pin it down, she knew it had been there. 

There had been a cruel expression, a look of glee at what could possibly be done; at what could possibly be tormented. As soon as Glenn saw it, it vanished and a smiling Imperial mage was left in its wake. “Please follow me.” Was all Cornelia said before leading Glenn out of the room in what felt like a trance. 

Only when they crossed the threshold to a set of rooms Glenn had never been in did she break out of the strange funk her mind had been in. There was a part of her that wondered if Cornelia had done some spell and everyone had not caught it, but Glenn decided against that idea. She, Cornelia, would not possibly try something so soon after moving to the capitol… 

Would she?

“You wish to protect him correct?” Cornelia’s voice had Glenn’s eyes snapping to her form. Around them, Cornelia clearly had made herself right at home. There were signs that Cornelia was not from the Kingdom; Imperial regalia and other trinkets of Imperial origin. There were also spices and dried herbs; hanging crystals and small terrariums made of painted glass that cast the different areas of the room in striking colors. 

“I…protect who?” Glenn asked as Cornelia sat at a writing desk. There were already papers covering the surface that Glenn could not decipher from where she was standing. For a moment, the two of them stared at one another; Glenn trying to play dumb while Cornelia watched the younger woman like a hawk, trying to pinpoint any slight weakness or break in her walls. 

There was something different about this Cornelia that had Glenn’s hackles rising the longer they stood there. While she wanted to trust the older woman, wanted to trust her like her King so clearly did, Glenn was not as open as Lambert Blaiddyd was. He wanted to see the best in everyone; Glenn had to be cautious at nearly every point in her life, especially around those that came in contact with the royal family. 

The silence stretched on as long as it could, causing Glenn to break first; looking away as she fidgeted with her hands. One of the things she had heard her mother say in the past that a secret shared was a secret halved. If it was a secret shared with a near stranger, there was an extra weight lifted off of Glenn’s shoulders; not having to worry about the judgement that would come from an acquaintance. “Yes.” She whispered. “His and Prince Dimitri’s safety is all I ever think about. It consumes me every moment of the day. Every breath I take, I take in the name of his Majesty; to bring about a world where his ideals and his purpose come to fruition. His dreams and ideals are everything I wish to uphold in this world.” 

When Glenn looked up, Cornelia was staring at her; a thoughtful expression on her face, head tilted ever so slightly. She stared and stared and stared before nodding as though coming to a conclusion she just saw. “Come here. Give me your hand.” Glenn inched closer at Cornelia’s command, jumping when the older woman grabbed Glenn’s hand in a surprisingly tight grip. “This bond is ever lasting Glenn Fraldarius.” Cornelia’s words were quiet even as a glow encompassed the room. Glenn herself felt a strange burning sensation start at her fingertips and slowly vine its way up her hand and towards her arm. It slipped past her elbow and raced towards her neck. 

She was sweating, worried as to what was happening from feeling the dark magic in the air, but she stayed still to the best of her abilities. At this point, it seemed as though Cornelia was telling her the truth; giving her the power that she was looking for to keep the royal family safe. If…if she had to sell her soul to achieve her goals and see to it that Dimitri and King Lambert lived for as long as they could, then she would do just that. 

After Cornelia finished whispering a few quick foreign words under her breath that Glenn could not pinpoint the origin of, the light vanished. The burning had stopped right around Glenn’s neck and the young knight just knew in her heart that there was a magical seal there; indicating that she was Cornelia’s “apprentice” for all intents and purposes. Looking at Cornelia as the older woman let her hand slip free, she knew that the thought of “making a deal with the devil” had been apt; what with the wicked grin on Cornelia’s face. 

“Welcome Glenn Fraldarius. Why don’t we get to work?” 

~’~

_1173_

“Anya is dead.” Were the first words that left her fathers mouth when he came for a visit to the capitol. They were said with such a flat and even voice that she almost did not quite catch it. It was very well near a mumble; and when the words processed, her first thought was that he was joking. She let out a strangled laugh. 

Yet, his face just crumbled. He turned away from her towards the multiple silk cushioned benches that lined the large hallway at the front of the castle. “Father?” Glenn gasped and reached out towards his retreating form. With his back still towards her, she saw his shoulders move up and down almost infinitesimally; and even with the quiet commotion of the castle’s servants bustling about, she could hear the soft sounds of his sobs. 

“You…you can’t be serious.” Glenn tried to ground out of her mouth, feeling every bone in her body quake and shake as he turned to sit down. His hand covered his face as he continued to cry; and with each passing second, she knew that he was not kidding her. 

Glenn’s mother was dead. 

They had never really had that close of a relationship, but Anya Fraldarius still had been her mother. She had still been someone that Glenn loved with every fiber of her being.

“How did it happen?”

“It was the illness that has been sweeping through the Kingdom.” The same one that Dimitri’s mother had “died” from; or at least that was the cover story. Cornelia had been so busy in the capitol healing those that were sick that she did not make it out to the far border areas in time. 

Glenn felt a sick nausea twist through her. Cornelia could have saved Anya. 

“We did not catch it soon enough Glenn. There was nothing we could do.” Her father spoke softly, Glenn sitting beside him as she stared blankly into the wall across the hallway. Of course, there was something they could have done. There were thousands of things they could have done; she could have sent Cornelia to the Fraldarius region, she could have gone herself, she could have done ANYTHING. “She went quickly.” Doubtful. Glenn had seen a dozen different people die from the disease when she helped Cornelia with her work. They were in pain and it was prolonged. How her father and the other people in the Fraldarius house missed it, she did not know. Perhaps they had been willfully ignorant about it all. 

Glenn could hear her father continue to talk, aimlessly moving from one topic to the next. The entire time, she barely heard him; unfocused and ignoring him. There was so much aching pain in her chest. Much of her world was falling down around her as odd as that was.

It was only when the heavy sound of footsteps coming down the hallway hit them did she look up and out of the gaze that she had penetrating the opposite wall. Lambert’s sympathetic gaze caught hers first, an unspoken bond passing between the two of them as he shifted towards his oldest friend. There was no need to raise any suspicions about their ever-morphing relationship, especially not after the news about Anya. 

The two older men embraced in a tight hug; sympathies passing through Lambert’s lips while her father’s tears started up again. 

Glenn’s eyes seemed dry, odd after the small cry she had right before Lambert showed up; and it was strange considering how sad she felt inside her of herself. There was a tight knot in her throat, preventing her from speaking. 

“My friend, I am so sorry. I just heard the news from Gustave.” Hm, so her father had spoken to the old red headed knight before even whispering the news to Lambert. That was slightly odd, but the thought passed before t could linger in Glennn’s mind. 

Rodrigue slowly stopped crying as the two men pulled away from one another. He nodded, brushing his tears away with the handkerchief he pulled from his satchel. “She was going to go soon.” Again, another lie from her father. Neither of them men saw her eyes narrow in Rodrigue’s direction. Why was he saying such things? She had been perfectly healthy a few months prior; and all three of them knew the symptoms of the disease ravaging the Kingdom very well. They all knew that it took no time at all for the person to pass once they contracted it. They knew that Cornelia was one of the few, if not the only one, that could heal it. 

When Lambert turned towards her, she quickly brought a saddened expression back onto her face; covering the anger she had been pointing in her father’s direction, though it seemed as though Lambert caught it. His eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly before vanishing as well. “Glenn.” The King all but breathed. It was an invitation for physical touch, so she stood and allowed herself to be wrapped in his arms. While still, no tears fell from her eyes, she held onto his cape with a white knuckled grip; squeezing her eyes closed as she pushed her face into his chest. 

Perhaps she could block out the rest of the world if she closed her eyes hard enough, if she pushed herself harder into his chest. Maybe her father would vanish, maybe the Kingdom would be gone; all of Fódlan. Maybe if she wished hard enough and she ignored everyone else, maybe she and Lambert would be the only ones left in the world. 

Perhaps that way her mother would still be alive in her imagination. 

Of course, the moment only lasted for a few brief seconds. She fidgeted when the sounds of approaching knights came to them. Once again everything faded away but the small point on the wall opposite of them. She vaguely heard the knights speaking; her fathers scratchy voice grating against her ears for the first time in her life. 

For so long she loved to hear her father speak. It was what put her to sleep at night when she was younger; when her mother would be frustrated up to her ears when Glenn would not go to bed, wailing and crying until her father held her. When Rodrigue whispered ‘I love you’s’ and ‘your father is here little one’ into her forehead, Glenn would be out in moments. 

Now she just wanted it all to vanish. She just wanted him to go back home; to not bother her. 

The funeral was held in the capitol and most all of the noble houses in the Kingdom were there. Lady Rhea, the Archbishop, led the proceedings; guiding everyone through prayer. All in all, Glenn could admit it was a beautiful send off for her mother. 

After sending the ship carrying her mothers’ body into open water, a skilled archer from the Galtea family lit the vessel alight; causing sparks to fly up into the winter night air like Fae and stars. 

It was at the dinner later that night where Glenn could not handle being around anyone any longer. She simply turned and headed straight out of the grand dining hall. There was no point in playing nice; the only person she wanted to put on a face for was dead after all. 

~’~

Glenn met Hapi not long after the funeral. Cornelia all but rushed the two of them out to the country side; the older woman clearly doing her best to ignore the angry stare that Glenn was leveling at her. Did she know Glenn’s true feelings? How angry she was that Cornelia seemed “so busy” in the capitol? Did she know that Glenn was onto her, or at least trying to uncover why Cornelia often ran off on her own without telling anyone; even Lambert? 

Either way Glenn paused when they were walking up to the pyramidal cabin deep in the woods. Whenever they had arrived in the past, they were the only two for hundreds of miles around. 

Yet this time, they were very clearly not alone. There was a young girl near the front of the building, her head tilted over the herbs she was looking through. Like Glenn, she had a magical collar around her neck; clearly indicating why she was there. “Hapi.” Cornelia’s voice snapped Glenn out of her thoughts, causing Glenn to walk forwards; slightly behind and to the side of the older woman. “I want you to meet someone.” 

The little girl, cause that’s what she basically was, looked up. She could possibly be 12 cycles; but no more than that. The weeds in the herb garden were forgotten as she walked over to where Glenn and Cornelia were standing. “This is Glenn Fraldarius. I want you to be nice to her Hapi. The two of you are very similar.” Like the collar wasn’t obvious enough. But Glenn kept her mouth shut, letting her master continue. “We are going to be having two more guests. I want you both to treat them well, make sure the tea is ready as well as dinner. They are going to be honored guests of the King himself once they arrive in the capitol.” That caught Glenn’s attention. Who in the world was Cornelia bringing to her cabin in the woods? 

And how did they get that close to the King? 

Of course, she had no opportunity to ask Cornelia. The older woman all but threw both her and Hapi into the small kitchen off the main large room of the cabin. Both younger girls sighed, looking at each other with something of a knowing look. They were kindred spirits; they just had no idea how kindred and intertwined they were in that moment. 

As Cornelia said, it was not a day later when two people on horseback showed up. Well, it was one man on horseback with a young girl seated in front of him. She was pretty, generically so; long pale brown hair and even paler eyes. The man, Glenn had no idea who he was; but she could see something of a family similarity between the two people. He looked close enough to the girl physically that they could pass as family that is. 

When Cornelia introduced everyone, Glenn felt her stomach drop. This young girl was a political asylum along with her uncle; Lord Arundel and Edelgard von Hresvelg, future Empress of the Adrestian Empire. What they were doing there, no one would tell her or Hapi. That was something else Glenn was figuring out rather quickly after her mother’s funeral. 

There was no apprenticeship between her and Cornelia. Glenn was just a tool, Cornelia fully prepared to work Glenn until she dropped dead. And at that point, Glenn did not want to even know what the witch would do with her remains. 

~’~

“We kissed.” Glenn’s harsh whisper had Hapi glancing back up at her. She and the young Hapi, now 13 cycles, had been gardening; well, more like pulling up herbs in Cornelia’s garden. It was grueling work, especially in the dead of winter; but it was work that the two of them had to do if they did not want to be punished by the older sorceress. For most of the morning as they worked across the small plots of magical herbs and flowers, silence had enveloped them. It was the first thing Glenn had said to the younger girl. 

Hapi’s reddish copper eyes snapped to hers, frowning as her eyebrows lowered in consternation. “Who is we?” Was her only response, letting her gaze linger on Glenn for a moment longer before turning back to picking the weeds from the Anemone crop. Glenn herself worked on clearing the mint leaves of any small pest or overgrown dandelions that sucked up nutrients from the mint. 

With her eyes downcast, she blushed, “Me and the King.” 

Again, silence blanketed the two of them; only the quiet sounds of Hapi finishing up her work in the flowers could be heard. There were a few moments where that continued uninterrupted before Hapi finally finished, sighed, and sat back against the stone. Glenn mirrored her movements. 

While both of them were rather…socially inept, they played off each other well. Putting both their heads together, they could usually figure out problems Glenn was facing since she was the only one that interacted with the outside world; even if Glenn would always promise she would break them both out of Cornelia’s grasp one day. 

“And when did this happen?” Hapi asked sounding very much not her 13 cycles. She may be socially inept but Hapi was one of the most mature people Glenn knew, as funny and odd as that was. 

Glenn, shifting her weight in a crouched squat before dropping to the ground as well, felt her heartrate increase. “It was…you know how my mother; Anya, passed just recently?” Hapi nodded. “I-I, it was a few days after the funeral; it was held in the capitol. Lambe-The King said he wanted to hold the funeral in Fhirdiad since he says my family is his family. The two of us, we were walking in his personal gardens while my father was out scouting with Gustave and my brother was spending time with the Prince.” She stopped then, picking off petals of the daisy she found earlier that morning; clearly remembering the day as though it were happening in real time. 

_“I know you told me to stop, but I wanted to apologize again. Losing someone you love always hurts.” Lambert’s voice was low, only for her, as she sat down on the fountains edge. It was a small one considering it was placed inside the greenhouse in the King’s gardens. The scent of jasmine and gardenias enveloped them._

_“It’s fine. I feel like I have heard it a thousand times in the past few days; I guess I have just grown…grown numb to it all.” Glenn finished in a whisper of her own. Lambert had picked a pale, almost grey toned rose earlier in their walk, giving it to her to hold. Having rested her elbows on her knees and letting her head fall forwards, she watched as though her fingers were possessed as she slowly started to pick the petals off the bud one by one._

_For a few moments, she knew the King was just watching her; that same saddened expression on his face he had been wearing the entire day. She knew he loved her family dearly; wished to take away the pain of losing Anya._

_Glenn also knew that Lambert could not act out on his quieter affections in public. There was a part of her that wondered if Rodrigue knew. It seemed as though he did; some little looks or words here and there that made her suspect he was knowledgeable of their King’s and her affair._

_Like Dagdan honey, Lambert moved beside her, sitting much closer than what would be deemed “appropriate” in an official setting. Alas, there in the greenhouse alone together, they could show their true feelings for one another._

_Glenn continued for a little while longer, picking the flower petals off again and again and again until there was a little pile sitting between her booted feet. All she could do was stare; watch as all of a sudden, drops of water splashed against the soft grey petals._

_It took a little longer than was normal for her to realize she was indeed crying. She had not even cried at the funeral, thinking she had to be strong for her father, for their family. She had to be strong for Felix who sobbed so openly as he held her hand and Dimitri’s._

_Now, sitting with the heat of Lambert’s body pressed up against her, she openly wept; silent in her tears. “Is… is that why she would look at me so in the past years? Did she know she was dying?” Glenn asked to Lambert, but also to no one in particular._

_“Glenn.” Lambert started, only stopping when he saw how Glenn curled in further on herself; the sounds of her crying becoming audible in the greenhouse. Yes, Glenn and her mother were not incredibly close, but she was still Glenn’s mother, still her parent. Glenn loved Anya as much as she loved her father; and now she was gone._

_“Glenn, my love; my little deer.” She heard his smile before she felt his hand on her chin, gently maneuvering her so she looked up at him. “While there are no words that I can say to you that would bring her back, I can offer you the comfort of the living. Your entitled to your grief; however, you are also entitled to your happiness. I have told you before that your life is yours to live; and I shall repeat it again. You are your own person my love.” Lambert’s other hand moved up; cupping her face as she stared up at him. He had that same sympathetic expression._

_Of course he would understand. Lambert had lost his wife not long ago to childbirth. He knew how it felt, that painful tear in one’s heart. “You are loved and safe here.” Lambert finished by wrapping one of his arms around Glenn’s waist, pulling her in closer. Chest to chest, their faces were now mere inches away; Glenn not even blushing as she usually did when she was that close to her King._

_A single tear slipped from her eye. “I love you.”_

_She was not sure if she said it, she was not sure if he said it; all she did know what that his lips were on hers. There was the gentle scratch of his facial hair; the warmth of their shared breath as their lips moved on one another. It was a culmination of years knowing one another; of their identities becoming meshed and molded together. At some point, one could not know Glenn without knowing Lambert and vice versa._

_An emotionally fueled kiss on the seat of a fountain was just an inevitability._

_The barely audible sound of their kiss greeted them as they pulled apart. Lambert, now out of breath; just as she was, pressed his forehead against hers. He brought up his free hand, gently caressing her cheek and brushing away the tears that stained there. “I love you too.”_

Hapi stared back at her as she finished recounting the story; a similar pile of petals now resting on the cobblestone beside her. “Where is he now?” Hapi asked. It had been less than two days since she kissed Lambert; shared that with him which she could never regain. Though, of course, it was not like she wanted to do anything physical with anyone else. Lambert was it for her. 

“He headed to the Arianrhod for something. He did not tell me why.” Hapi hummed in the back of her throat at Glenn’s explanation but did not say anything else for some time. 

“What’s the problem then?” 

“Excuse me?” 

“What’s the problem?” Hapi repeated her question even if Glenn still did not quite compute what was being asked of her. The younger of the two seemed to understand the confused expression that had plastered itself over Glenn’s face. “You love him, he loves you, you fight for one another, you are noble born which is more than an “appropriate match” for him; what’s the problem?” 

Hearing it stated so plainly actually took Glenn aback. It was…She… 

Hapi was right; right about it all. They loved one another, they fought with one another; she was noble and he was the King. There really was not anything stopping them from being together in public aside from Glenn’s own stubborn thoughts of not having happiness for herself. 

Even her father seemed more than willing to let Glenn be with Lambert. 

Suddenly, her heart did not feel as heavy as it had. She felt as though things were finally looking up. 

~’~

That warm hopeful feeling lasted until the second she walked into the grand hall the next day to meet with Lambert. Her eyes landed on her father and Gustave first, seeing a strangely anxious look on their faces; like they were worried for her, for everyone. When she turned towards the front of the room, she understood why. 

There Lambert was in all of his glory.

And there was Patricia, or Anselma von Arundel as Glenn would later find out. It was only the five of them in the room but Glenn felt like her entire world was burning down right before her very eyes. 

The gold wedding band on Anselma’s finger was evidence enough of what she was doing beside Lambert, of what she was doing holding his hand. 

“Your Majesty.” Gustave’s voice broke the two’s attention at the front of the room; causing them both to turn towards the other three. Lambert’s beaming smile felt like a dagger to the gut. 

“Glenn! I am so glad you made it!” Behind her, she heard the distinct sound of Cornelia entering the room as well. The vicious grin on Cornelia’s face was hidden from the King; only viewable to Glenn, Gustave, and Rodrigue. The two older men narrowed their eyes at Cornelia and Glenn knew exactly what had happened in that moment. 

This woman, she had been introduced to Lambert by Cornelia and their relationship clearly blossomed from there. 

Glenn had always just been the young knight to shield Lambert on the battlefield. It could not have been clearer. 

“I want to introduce you to my new wife, Patricia Blaiddyd. You must keep this a secret though my dear Glenn. She is here in the Kingdom because of political persecution and strife in the Empire.” 

Patricia was beautiful; mature and elegant. She was about Glenn’s height, perhaps just a few inches taller which still meant Lambert towered over her. She wore a fine gown of the royal families colors; deep blues and dark, DARK blacks. Her hair, just like Lambert’s, was spun gold and had been plaited into a fine braid that hung over her shoulder and all the way down to her hip. 

“It is an honor to meet you Lady Patricia.” Glenn said quietly. 

It felt like she was falling, like the ground around her would never find her feet, even as she knelt. Of course Lady Patricia was kind, at least she still was at that point, “Oh there is no need to kneel you lady.” Glenn stood, slowly, keeping her eyes downcast. It…she couldn’t take in the adoring looks Lambert was sending Patricia’s way. It would destroy her. 

Even having just seen them interact for a few moments, Lambert’s affections for Patricia were as clear as day. He loved her. He truly deeply loved Patricia. 

There was a melancholic notion in Glenn’s heart; standing there, unable to listen to the muffled sounds of everyone talking around her. 

She loved Lambert so much, so truly, that she knew she had to keep Lady Patricia safe. Her entire being was screaming to be covetous; to be selfish and allow herself one thing in her life. However, loving someone as she did Lambert meant forgoing one’s own happiness. It meant that if he was truly at peace with Lady Patricia by his side, there would be no need for her to be happy with him as an equal; as his wife. 

~’~

_1175_

Hapi and Glenn quickly grew closer over the years. They confided in each other; spoke truthfully to one another, even if there was nothing but pain in their voice and in their words. They did not have any reason to hide things; they were both Cornelia’s prisoners. If anything, they often spoke in secrecy either on how to kill Cornelia or how-to runaway. 

Glenn never brought up her annoyance with the younger girl, now almost 16 cycles, when Lady Patricia was around. Hapi clearly loved the other woman; Lady Patricia was kind to her after all. Glenn could admit that Lady Patricia was just as kind, though did not show it quite as openly. Perhaps it was because her connection to Lady Patricia’s husband; she did not know. Either way, Glenn allowed Hapi to let her mind wonder considering the circumstances they were both in. 

Before long they were given a special opportunity that did not come around all that often. Cornelia was alone in her study; the small triangular building hovering over the two of them as they stood by the vegetable garden placed a couple of feet from the structure. 

Hapi turned towards Glenn as the older girl observed the large set of onions growing before her. “I want to tell you something while we are out here alone.” Hapi’s voice cause Glenn to pause, to look up as she shifted on her feet. 

“What’s wrong?” Glenn responded, not sure where Hapi was going to go with this line of thinking. She didn’t see any physical injuries on Hapi; though Cornelia was smarter than that, especially since Lady Patricia liked to visit the younger girl. Cornelia knew where to place the beatings on both of them so even Lambert did not see the bruises on Glenn’s skin. 

She watched as Hapi glanced over her shoulder towards the building, as though the wood of the walls themselves could hear her speak. So just to be doubly safe, she walked a little further away, close enough to touch the first set of trees that surrounded the cottage. Once she deemed it far enough away to speak, she turned back towards Glenn. “Make sure you keep a close eye on the King.” She whispered and Glenn’s stomach plummeted. 

“I…I don’t know what you mean.” 

“Whenever he takes trips to other nations within Fódlan and outside of its borders, make sure you watch him closely.” Glenn felt everything twists inside of her; her mind drifting towards the scheduled trip to Duscur the following year. Could it… could it be a warning for then? Hapi shouldn’t know about anything regarding that trip. It was only known by the people that trusted Lambert the most; Glenn included in that group. Though, of course, she would never whisper a word about it to anyone, even her own father if he didn’t already know about the trip as well. 

“I always do.” 

Hapi clearly was not having it. She gripped Glenn’s arms right beneath her shoulders, shockingly strong considering her small stature and weight. When their eyes met, Hapi looked crazed, scared and worried about not only Lambert’s safety, but Glenn’s as well. “You cannot let your guard down! I have heard whispers Glenn! I have heard Cornelia talking about things. She doesn’t let me hear everything but when she doesn’t think I am listening, I hear things. Her and Lady Patricia, they- they are wicked, twisted.” 

Every word felt like Glenn was being dunked in ice water. It was just too much, and while she wished it was just Hapi’s hunger-stricken lunacy talking, she knew Hapi was telling the truth. She couldn’t tell Glenn everything, but now the eldest Fraldarius child knew Cornelia was not to be trusted; their magical seal be damned. 

~’~

_1176_

Anselma was no fool. She had seen the signs; clear as day even in the overcast weather of Fhirdiad. She had seen the signs before Cornelia confirmed it all; confirmed all her anxious and angry suspicions. 

Lambert was a loving man. He was caring, he was good and he was just. Dimitri was kind, Hapi was a good little girl; but there were too many conspirators in the Kingdom that were clearly working against her. To think that Lambert had been hiding her daughter’s presence in the Kingdom, Anselma should have seen it sooner. 

Especially with Glenn having been so close with her husband. 

At first glance the young woman, no older than 19 cycles, seemed like a fine knight. She was clearly dedicated to the Kingdom; dedicated to keeping the royal family safe from harm. Glenn had spoken quietly with Anselma on more than one occasion, going so far as to explain she would lay down her own life for Anselma as well. You are Lambert’s beloved, there is no other reason; that’s what Glenn had said that quiet day at the cottage after having studied with Cornelia. 

Anselma should have seen it. 

She should have seen the adoring looks not only Glenn, but Lambert as well would throw at each other. There were whispers among the Knights that so steadfast followed Lambert into battle; whispers that even Anselma would often over hear. They spoke of how wonderfully they all worked together when Glenn and Lambert rode side by side. Even that snake Gustave pondered wedding bells in the future; knowing she herself was married to their king. 

There were times when grand balls were thrown, including the one that Edelgard had apparently been at without Anselma’s knowledge, that Glenn and Lambert would dance together. She could still recall speaking with Rodrigue, though looking back she had no idea why she would even do that, when she would turn and spot Lambert and that little Fraldarius girl trouncing about. She wanted to vomit just thinking about it; spotting them out in the courtyard performing an old Sreng folkdance for Dimitri and the other Faerghus noble children. They had laughed and smiled and blushed; the song ending with Glenn looking up at Lambert like he was her entire world, which he was for her. 

Glenn had not even been in a ballgown that night; having just come back from scouting with Gustave and still dressed in her holy knight armor, splattered with mud and muck. Nevertheless, Lambert had held her like she was something special, something that was meant to be in his arms. 

Anselma adored Dimitri like her own child, like her sweet Edelgard she missed so dearly. She thought she loved Lambert like a true spouse; but, things fell into place. 

Everything was already planned, just a week out from Lambert’s trip into Duscur; and of course, Glenn would be going with him, Dimitri as well. 

He kept your daughter from you, she kept telling herself; nearly still wobbling on following through with it all. That was, until about a week or two out from the trip. 

“She is pregnant with his child.” 

There it was. 

There was the sign, the other shoe. Cornelia’s face was twisted into sympathy as Hapi set the tea set down. Somewhere in the back of Anselma’s mind, she thought it was a bad idea for Cornelia to let Hapi hear all this; but that was…that was in a mind Anselma lost in that moment. 

Everything became hyper focused, clear and true. 

Glenn was pregnant with Lambert’s child; they had been intimate while Anselma had been on her trips to the cottage. 

They would die in Duscur, the lot of them, and she would be reunited with her true family. 

~’~

_1176_

It had been a cloudy day when she started putting two and two together. Glenn was far from ignorant, quite brilliant actually. She could understand things at an analytical level that she doubted even her own father caught. The only other person that was as perceptive was Lambert…and that was part of the problem. 

There was a time when, before she sworn her sword and her life to the King, she and her father thought her life would be vastly different. They had thought, and planned, for her to become something of a regent herself; a woman of the court to be dressed in jewels and finery. Balthus von Albrecht had asked for her hand in marriage more than once, and Rodrigue had nearly relented. Either way, during that time where she thought she would be sent off to be a wife of an Alliance member, she had been studying medicine more than anything else. Her entire life had revolved around knowing the ins and outs of the human body. 

Pregnancy was one of the first things she looked through; how it happened, the signs, what to expect, the list went on and on. Glenn knew then, as she braced one hand on the stone wall in front of her near the herb garden, right at the foot of the castle’s south eastern most wall, that she was pregnant. 

If Lambert had seen her then he would have known immediately she was pregnant; and it could only have been his. He was a father of his own after all; he had seen the symptoms of pregnancy once before. 

Goddess, she thought to herself as she placed her free hand gently over her stomach. There was not even a visible bump; no feeling beneath her palm. It must have freshly taken. When was the last time she coupled with her King? It could not have even been a full fortnight!

Glenn flushed at the memory of it. Lady Patricia had gone off on a trip with Cornelia to the cottage where Hapi was being held; and it was also where Cornelia planned everything. Well, at least what Glenn was privy to. There was MUCH that Cornelia and Lady Patricia kept from her and Hapi. Both young women were left in the dark about what they presumed was most important. Either way, it was that very night Lambert pulled Glenn into his room where they made love for what felt like hours. At the time, nothing seemed wrong; nothing seemed misplaced. 

Everything had been so right in the world as he took her over and over again; maddeningly gentle in his adoration of her body. 

Now it felt like ice was flowing in her blood. It did not feel quite real; even as she hung her head. Both Glenn’s hood that was attached to her cape and the long strands of her hair that slipped from her braid curtained her face. 

And all the while, all she could do was stare at the mint growing right in front of her feet. “It needs some water.” Glenn’s voice trailed off as she cast a quick spell; a ball of water forming in her hand. It slipped from the sphere, the water, in a whip like shape; the mint soaking up the sustenance in what she could only describe was relief. 

The entire time, Glenn tried to ignore the bile that was still dripping from her lips. That is, until she heard a soft voice from her right. Someone had come around the castle wall so quietly she did not even notice them; that or she was so out of it she would not have caught someone sneaking up on her even if they were stomping and screaming. 

“Glenn? Are you quite alright?” Dimitri stood before her, his hair shining in the early spring sun. Like her, he was still dressed for the relatively chilly air of Faerghus near the beginning of the year. Summer was approaching, but as far north as they were, often times one could hardly tell. 

That was beside the point. His eyes, so full of concern, mirroring the ones she would see when Lambert thought he went too far in their training sessions; she nearly had to turn away. Nearly that is. 

“Ah Prince Dimitri, yes I am fine.” She whispered, quickly wiping away the bile still rimmed around her lips. When she turned back to him, he had stepped forwards, his eyes turned down to see the yellow liquid that had just escaped her lips pooling around the mint plant. Shit. 

That blue gaze narrowed and she really could not help but see Lambert in that stark expression. “I think I should get my father. He would know what to do.” Dimitri started, turning around to head back into the castle and find the King. However, Glenn panicked. She could NOT have Lambert finding out about her condition. Not yet at least. There were far too many things she had to figure out herself. One of the main things in her mind was how she would explain her pregnancy, everyone knowing full well she was not married to anyone else; especially not the king. 

As fast as she could, before Dimitri could escape her sight, she grabbed his hand; causing the boy to turn around. A strange expression formed on his face, almost as though he was growing more and more suspicious of what was going on with her. “Please Dimitri. I do not wish to worry your father needlessly. I just need to see Cornelia; I’m sure she should have a vulenary, something that will get me right as rain.” 

For a brief moment she was worried that Dimitri would simply leave to get Lambert anyways. She saw it in his eyes, that he was just going to pull his hand from her grip and rush away. However, he relented. Nodding, he turned his hand in hers so he was the one guiding her back inside the castle and up and through the winding hallways. Finally, they arrived at Cornelia’s suite; where she both did her “safe” research, the research she was not afraid to show Lambert, as well as took her patients which consisted of the royal family and those closest to them. 

The older woman had been doing some tinkering at her desk with unidentified liquids as they entered, only turning at the sound of Dimitri’s footsteps. Her eyes narrowed for a brief moment before she spotted the blonde’s hand holding Glenn’s; then glanced at Glenn’s stomach as though she already knew. “Oh? Come in come in. Please, if Glenn is ill; let her rest Prince Dimitri.” If Cornelia was good at anything, she was good at rushing people out of a room. It took no time at all to usher the young prince into the hallway, closing the door behind her. 

Little did either of them know, Dimitri had only pretended to head back down the hallway. His heavy footsteps were unmistakable, but when he wanted, he could pull off a sneaky approach back towards the infirmary door. At first, he only heard their muffled voices; nearly worrying him that the two women behind the door knew that he had returned to listen to their conversation. A part of him knew it was rude to eavesdrop, but he was terribly concerned about Glenn. He adored her, and knew that his father was especially fond of the young woman. If she were truly ill he would run to tell him immediately. 

“Have you been drinking your Anemone tea?” Dimitri heard Cornelia’s voice cut through the quiet murmuring. Anemone tea? Dimitri had never heard of it; at least in a medicinal sense. He had no idea Anemone could be made into tea. 

Glenn responded with a small laugh that did not sound humorous at all. It sounded rather watery, like she was about to cry. “I thought I had. I was so sure. But it seems as though my mind has been elsewhere.” Definitely a sniffle. He knew she was crying then. “For this to happen so close to the trip to Duscur. Lambert and my father would never allow me to leave if they knew! Cornelia you know I cannot abandon my duty to Lambert. I would rather die than allow him to leave to Duscur on his own. I made an oath.” 

What in the world was she talking about? Dimitri pressed his ear against the door, a little more brazen with each passing second. Perhaps he would just attribute it to his morbid curiosity to know what was going on. For a few moments, both of the women were quiet; only the rustling sound of clothing emanating through the door. 

Dimitri did not move the entire time. His heart was beating wildly in his chest, just wanting to know what was going on with Glenn to make her so sick she would vomit in the garden. 

Finally Cornelia spoke. 

“You are not wrong Glenn. You are indeed with Lambert’s child.” 

What? 

Everything in Dimitri’s body tightened up as his whole world went foggy. With Lambert’s child? Glenn? 

Glenn and his father had been intimate? He had no idea! And for her to be pregnant with his child, Dimitri felt like he was going to pass out himself. 

No, no it was not because he disliked Glenn. He loved both her and his father dearly; and he wanted only happiness for the two. It had to be the shock of it all that was throwing him off. It just seemed so out of nowhere for him; even if the two were clearly closer than they let on. 

The sudden vision of his stepmother Lady Patricia passed through his mind. Did she know? Could she have known? It was not out of the ordinary for the Kings of Faerghus in the past to hold a wife and multiple mistresses and consorts; but this did not seem like it was the case. Dimitri recalled the memory of Glenn telling him about her feelings towards his father years ago; knowing full well nothing had officially changed between the two of them sense then. 

Slowly he stepped back, pushing away from the door and quietly making his way back down the hallway. As he went, he felt a smile grow on his face. Of course, he would keep what he knew a secret; he was not supposed to have the knowledge in the first place. 

However, he could not help the feeling of anxious excitement run through him. To have a younger sibling; the idea thrilled him, especially if it meant Glenn were to be in the castle more than she already was. 

Perhaps the day was looking up after all. 

~’~

The day the Tragedy of Duscur occurred, everything seemed so normal. She said goodbye to her father and brother that morning, both visiting the capitol for Lambert’s send off. It was shockingly warm for the time of the year, so she had spent most of the day in the gardens with Dimitri and Felix; Lambert, Rodrigue, and Gustave sitting not too far away discussing Lambert’s return after the peace talks. 

She knew that Rodrigue did not want any of them running off to Duscur. She knew very well that her father wished to go as well, even with the King’s obstinate refusals. Nevertheless, her father and Gustave were to stay behind while she and another group of knights would escort the King to Duscur and back. 

So off they went, the cold dryness of the desert tundra already digging into her skin not too far away from the capitol. Nothing was out of the ordinary, everything was going to plan. 

That is, until it didn’t. 

They had just set up camp for the night, about 100 miles north from the capitol. There was quiet chatter that covered the camp as everyone ate to relax after the long march that day. 

The look outs were walking around the outer edges of the camp, until they weren’t. The first batch of men were taken out before anyone could notice, the Duscur people that were attacking well equipped and trained to fight where they were. 

All hell quickly broke loose. Shouts echoed into the night air. Fires were ignited in the few tents that were set up to house the elite batch of men and women. Chaos ensued, people being mowed down with large scythes and clubs, though Glenn thankfully avoided it all for a time. 

When she finally spotted Lambert’s form, she felt a brief moment of peace. He was fighting, cutting other people down with Areadbhar left and right. 

And then that one Duscur solider got lucky and her entire world imploded on itself. It took just that single knife stab to his chest, right through his heart; right in front of her eyes. Glenn screamed, horrified and sprinted in their direction as Lambert dropped the Relic onto the ash covered ground. The Duscur soldier that dropped him vanished as soon as he appeared; leaving Glenn to fall to her knees beside Lambert. As fast as she could, she tried to heal his wounds; the pale glow emanating from her hands barely registering with the inferno raging around them. 

But it didn’t matter. The screams didn’t matter, the blood and the fire and the blades; none of it mattered to her. The only thing that mattered was Lambert; and how even as she pressed her white magic encased hands harder and harder to his chest, nothing was happening. 

Glenn sobbed as she held him to her chest, feeling useless. She barely registered him reaching up to cup her cheek. Blood poured from his lips, eyes unwavering as he looked at her, one last time. 

Just like that, the light left his eyes, his body growing cold so rapidly she barely registered his living breaths to his deathly stillness. 

Though it was not as though she could do much for too long. In a blink of an eye, a spear was pierced through her chest, just missing Lambert’s corpse in her arms. It caused her to gently release Lambert’s form as her arms reached up to hover around the metal spear, not entirely sure what to do. The warrior gave her no choice, nor a chance, to decide. Just as soon as the blade appeared, it was gone; leaving a giant hole punched through her chest. 

It did not take long after that for her to fall to her side, eyes focused on Lambert’s cooling corpse. He was resting on his back, staring up at the night sky where she had let him go. 

Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise, knowing that the last thing in the world she would ever see was Lambert. So even as the snow began to fall, not doing anything to put out the fires that were still raging around them, Glenn allowed herself to slip into the eternal slumber; knowing full well that at the very least, her father and Gustave would take good care of the country in Lambert’s stead. 

~’~

The carnage was as bad as he had been expecting it to be when they finally arrived at the camp. Rodrigue would never forget that feeling; of the guard that had busted through the grand meeting hall doors, shouting that the King’s encampment had been attacked. Without even fully seeing the wreckage, he knew that his oldest friend and his eldest child were both dead. He knew it in his soul; just as he knew Anya had passed without even being in the same room as her. There was just something fundamental now missing in the world. 

While he was able to keep Felix asleep and out of the loop, Dimitri was a much different story. It did not take long for the crowned prince to show up to the stables, demanding that he be taken along with them to the camp. Rodrigue begged Dimitri, begged on his knees to stay behind; however, it was Gustave that said he should come. 

_“If he is to be king, he must be ready for death and destruction early on.”_

Gustave may have been right in principal, but as a father himself, Rodrigue had no idea how the red head allowed Dimitri to climb up into his saddle. Just as the watchman had said, the fire was visible all the way from the capitol.

By the time they arrived, the barest light from the early morning was starting to breach the horizon. With the frigid air of the tundra, any dew that attached to any low-lying plant was frozen; the flurry of snow that had drifted in during the trip to the camp leaving a fine layer of white over everything not moving. 

“By the Goddess.” Rodrigue heard Gustave whisper, looking over the burnt-out ashes of the tent and the mass of bodies that were scattered about the ground. There was a naïve part of Rodrigue that thought he would find Glenn running out from some hidden pile of wood; Lambert in tow. He thought that she and his friend would survive, perhaps be injured but still breathing. Yet, it was as though the Goddess herself was toying with them. Rodrigue and Dimitri found their bodies at the same time; right near the middle of the camp where he knew Glenn forced Lambert to sit. Areadbhar, which Rodrigue lifted into his arms, was lying beside Lamberts unmoving body. 

As in life, and the same in death, Glenn never left Lambert’s side. She was lying there next to him, gloved hands ever so gently reaching out in his direction; like if she just touched him one last time she perhaps could have survived. 

The second holy knight in their ranks, Anagail, knelt down beside the two bodies. She looked them over; quick to find the injuries that dealt the finally blow. It seemed as though Lambert had perished from a blade to his heart; a seemingly quick death that would have killed him in moments depending on the weapon. 

Glenn, however, had not been so lucky. He spotted the tracks from the tears on her ash covered cheeks; clearly indicating that the spear blow to her stomach, puncturing right through her like paper and a pen, had killed her painfully and slower than Lambert’s wound. 

Dimitri did not shed a single tear the entire time they were there; collecting the bodies and building the traditional funeral pyre for those that died in combat. He cried less than some of the knights that sobbed as the fires reached higher and higher into the air; the warm afternoon sunlight now only barely cutting through the cold. 

~’~

When Glenn opened her eyes again, she assumed she was in Hell. The smell of burning flesh and being encased in dead bodies and scorched bone? What else could it be but Hell? All she could do at first was stare above her; a broken and bloodied leg partially blocking her view of the hazy sky above them. After a few moments of trying to catch her breath, she turned her head; ever so slowly, and then wished so desperately she hadn’t. 

Lambert’s face stared back at her; stuck in that dazed look of death. His beautiful eyes were partially closed, burned and boiled patches of his skin flaking off onto the ground beneath them; still so cold from the snow the previous night or whenever that had been. Glenn had no idea how much time had passed since she “died”. 

All at once, everything that had happened hit her. She shot up, scrambling and pushing away the dead bodies; crawling out of what could only be a funeral pyre that had been built for them. That meant her father had been there. That had meant the other knights had been there. She really had been dead…but…

Glenn looked down, standing on her feet shakily while breathing heavy. All around her was the destruction of that night; the pyre sitting in front of her as innocently as could be. 

She allowed herself to cry in that situation. 

Lambert’s freezing corpse was mangled, still somehow lying face up after her mad scramble from the pile. No longer did he have those beautiful long legs she loved so much. The fire had burned all the way up to his thighs; nothing left but bone in the wake of destruction it had left. Because he had been where he was in the pyre, beneath everyone with Glenn, his torso had nearly been left untouched; just small licks of flame that burnt his skin here and there. 

It didn’t make it any better. It didn’t help in the slightest. She let out a sob, piercing the smoggy sky; her knees letting out beneath her and smashing to the ground. It couldn’t be real. None of it could be real. She had to be having a nightmare; she would wake up back in Fhirdiad!

“Oh you poor thing.” 

Cornelia.

Cornelia was there. 

Glenn’s head snapped up, her dirty, ash covered hair falling in her face. There she stood, there Cornelia was giving Glenn the most sympathetic sad look. Whether Cornelia was being honest or not, Glenn did not have the mental capacity at the moment to find out. All she knew was that Cornelia was there and she had powers Glenn needed. She all but crawled over to the older woman. 

Cornelia made a sort of strangled noise in the back of her throat, kneeling before Glenn in the snow. She was wearing a giant fur coat that nearly swallowed her, but looked strangely sophisticated. Glenn, however, couldn’t feel anything. The cold was gone, the wound that killed her, the wind and the ash; she was completely numb. 

“Poor thing.” Leather gloved hands cupped her cheeks and tipped her head back so she was facing the older woman. The two of them stared at one another, Cornelia all the while brushed her thumb over top Glenn’s cheek bones. “You know that you cannot go back to them. They all think you perished in the blaze little one.” 

She is right, Glenn thought miserably to herself. They all thought she was dead; every single person in Faerghus that knew of her outside of Cornelia. The witch always knew the truth as unfortunate as that was. At this point, Cornelia was all Glenn had; the only person she could turn to. “What do I do?” Her voice cracked in the frigid early spring wind. 

Of course Cornelia clearly already had a plan. She stood, leaving Glenn to sit on her knees like the damaged and broken thing she was. “I’ll keep you safe little one.” Soft. Cornelia sounded so soft and sweet. She sounded like the woman everyone thought she was when she was brought to the Kingdom to help with the plague. “I’ll keep you safe and bound.” 

Glenn’s hands gripped at Cornelia’s fine dress skirt. There was the briefest hint of anger and disgust that flashed over the older woman’s eyes; very much who Glenn knew Cornelia to be. But it was gone as soon as it appeared, that placid smile replacing it. “All you have to do Glenn Fraldarius, is keep an eye on Archbishop Rhea; keep an eye on that woman as well as the churches comings and goings.” 

Somewhere in her mind, a place that was not blinded by grief and still functioning, Glenn wondered how she was supposed to do that without getting caught. While she could change her hair and her clothes, it would be hard for her to change her facial structure. The moment anyone affiliated with the royal family and the Kingdom laid their eyes on her, they would know who she was. 

It seemed as though Cornelia was already ahead of her slowed thoughts though, lifting her from the ground and walking her in a direction Glenn could not place. “You shall hide out in the Abyss,” A place that Glenn had heard of but never knew was real. It was a city beneath the monastery and the officer’s academy; a place that had been rumored and written about. So, it was real after all? “When the time comes, I shall call upon you. For now, simply create a cover of a fortune teller from Sreng. It will get you in.” 

All Glenn could do was nod, letting the older woman guide her away from the pile of ashen body parts. However, they didn’t get very far before Glenn froze and spun about face. Her eyes didn’t leave Lambert’s form; giving Cornelia all she needed to know, smiling and walking Glenn back. “You wish to see him again.” 

Glenn sobbed. “More than anything.” 

That gave Cornelia the opening. Before Glenn knew what was going on, Cornelia has pulled out a curved and ornate dagger; plunging the weapon into Glenn’s lower midsection. “Then the blood of your child I shall keep.” Cornelia yanked the blade from Glenn’s left hipbone to her right; spilling her blood and guts onto the ash covered tundra. 

The eldest Fraldarius child was frozen, unable to move out of shock; and her body just not listening to her. It had to be the magical seal Cornelia had placed on her that time in her office. It was what kept her alive when she surely would have perished from that spear; and it was what caused the majority of her organs that had spilled out onto the ground to move on their own back into her body. 

“What did you do to me?” Glenn gasped out, grabbing at her stomach as it sealed itself again. Cornelia simply walked around and scooped up the viscera, waving her other hand to form a magical glass container. It was big, about the size of the large cats that roamed the streets of Fhirdiad. She watched in horror and disgust as the blood splattered against the bottom of the box. Without missing a beat, Cornelia walked over to Lambert’s prone form; severing his head with the same blade. 

Glenn did vomit then, not able to take in what had just happened. With her eyes closed, looking away from the gruesome scene, she heard Cornelia finally speak. She had dropped that friendly and forgiving tone, back to her true self. “I can bring Lambert back to you, however I need the blood of your child, as well as his heart and brain. It is a form dark form of alchemy, a magic from the far west.” 

It didn’t matter to Glenn. A part of her knew that it was against the Goddess’s wishes to bring a being back to life in such a manner, but she was sick with love. If she had to ignore the gory sound of Cornelia slicing Lambert’s heart from his chest; and the sound of her dropping his head in the glass box as well, then so be it. She would do anything to have him back. 

As the two of them started off to wherever Cornelia was taking her, Glenn tried not to laugh. 

If it truly was the afternoon after the attack, she had been 21 cycles old for a day. 

~’~

_1180_

Glenn’s 25th birthday brought about an interesting predicament. She had been living in the Abyss for quite some time at that point; long enough that she had made something of a name for herself. 

Those that lived there called her the Wayseer, someone that could tell your future for a price. She got quite a bit of people, surprising considering the citizens of the Abyss were destitute at best. Perhaps it was a chance to forget their daily worries. Something that would allow them a moment of respite no matter how bad their lives got. 

Either way, she rarely got those that were not citizens of the Abyss. Whether that was because most did not know of the location or what, she did not know; nor did she really care. She had just been doing her job; doing what Cornelia commanded of her so she could see her beloved again. It had been years upon years and Cornelia, every time Glenn asked, simply told her to continue her work. So, that’s what Glenn did. She fed information about the church to Cornelia for crumbs in return. 

The only ones that knew of Glenn’s true identity were the students of the Ashen Wolves house. She had been rather surprised when she ran into Balthus. It was as though the last four or fives years had been cleaned away in mere moments. He had cried and cried and hugged her close to his big body the entire time; saying he had missed her terribly, that a part of his world had faded when she “died”. The others were suspicious at first, and then she saw someone that she never thought she would see again. 

Hapi. Hapi had found sanctuary there. That was when Glenn had cried. She cried and cried and cried and cried until she fell asleep hugging against Hapi. The younger woman had broken free of Cornelia’s spell somehow and Glenn could not be happier for her. It gave Hapi the chance at a life that Glenn would never get. When the red head saw Glenn’s neck, she swore she would find a way to get Glenn free of Cornelia’s clutches. She didn’t believe Hapi could, but she appreciated the sentiment none the less. 

Her 25th birthday started out like many others before that. She did everything she always did, ate what she always ate; but when she sat down to start taking clients, it wasn’t Yuri or Constance that walked in.

Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd stood in front of the door, staring at her mask covered face with trepidation. 

~’~

“There is a desert; tundra like coldness.” The woman muttered under her breath after a moment of silence. Dimitri felt his blood run cold as he watched her gloved hands hover over the black crystal ball. Even from where he was seated, he could see a smoke like mirage form in the sphere; though there was no way he could decipher it. 

Apparently, she could though… and apparently, she saw the last thing he wished to envision. Nevertheless, he allowed her to continue; too polite to interrupt even if he did pay for the session and had every right to get up and walk out if he wanted to. She had her money; it was not as though she needed him there. 

“It is cold at first,” Her hand made another motion over the top, then moved so both were on either side; palms facing the curves of the crystal. “Yet a fire is on the horizons.” 

He felt it. Dimitri could see it… feel it clear as day. He could hear the screams, feel the knights that had escorted his father to Duscur clawing at his legs; begging him to either save them or end it. Dimitri’s blue eyes narrowed in on the smoke forms circling in the crystal and he could have sworn he saw a skull like shape form there. 

There was a part of him that was itching to stand, nearly did in fact. This Wayseer had been paid to tell his future, not scry into his past. However, she spoke again; her voice even, though with a hint of what he could only call hesitation. “Your ghosts will haunt you for as long as you cling to them Prince Dimitri.” His throat went dry; his eyes grew hot and searing. “Your life is your own to live.” No. 

No it wasn’t possible.

He couldn’t find it in him to tear his eyes away from the mask covering the woman’s face. 

Dimitri had heard those words hundreds of times in his life; before that day four years ago that is. It had been something of a chant, a benediction repeated in the halls of the castle in Fhirdiad. 

Could he possibly see past the porcelain covering the woman’s face? Could he possibly look through the pale leather gloves she was wearing? To see if that same scar was traced over her left thumb that he had caused when he was nothing but a boy? 

It…It just was not possible though. 

His father died that day in Duscur right alongside Glenn. He had been there when Gustave and Rodrigue piled all the bodies into a funeral pyre. He had seen Glenn’s body burn right alongside his fathers. There was just no way that Glenn could be sitting before him. 

Yet…

Yet if Aelfric, The Right of Rising, and even the Professor’s existence was anything to go by; the impossible was far more obtainable then what he previously thought. 

“Please.” It was like something possessed him, grabbing her hand in his. She made a noise that he could only compare to a startled deer, just as quickly trying to rip her hand back to her chest; however, his strength was renowned, the Blaiddyd strength. 

“Please you must tell me your true identity.” He stood with her hand still encased in his. “I must know. I don’t know if I can go on without knowing.” Dimitri tried one more time; though he was too late. Before he could speak again, the door to the Wayseer’s room opened and Balthus strolled in. 

Balthus wore a sort of sad smile; perhaps Dimitri was not the first customer to beg to see her true face, to know who she was behind the mask. “Sorry your highness.” 

“Leave.” The Wayseer’s breathy voice sounded in the now quiet room. Dimitri’s hand went weak and she was able to bring her own appendage to her chest; cradling it like it were an injured bird. All he could do was stare at her, even as Balthus walked up to his side. 

What the Wayseer wants, the Wayseer gets.” Balthus stated. He easily was able to guide Dimitri out of the room; the blonde Prince of Faerghus far to entranced by the Wayseer’s covered form to even think that he could very easily just rip the mask away from her face. 

Before he could, the door shut in his face and he was locked out of the one room that would be on his mind for years. 

~’~

“He was asking about you again.” Yuri said, walking into Glenn’s room as she shifted in her seat for a moment and he just watched her. She was always like this after readings; doubly so since the brats from the academy started showing up after the entire debacle with the Chalice of Beginnings. That Dimitri was a stubborn one; nearly pushing past Yuri to see the true identity of the Wayseer. Of course, whenever he nearly decided to just take his information through force, Balthus would show up; thankfully. 

Yuri had no doubts in his mind that the Blaiddyd could easily take Balthus down; but just kept his weapon out of some strange sort of respect for the Abyss students. That, and the connection he felt to the mysterious Wayseer Dimitri quite clearly could not place. 

The leader of the Ashen Wolves was no fool. He knew that Glenn Fraldarius had changed since her time of “being alive”. When she had first shown up at Abyss, she explained her throat had been permanently scarred from smoke inhalation as well as screaming from the agony of losing the King, her most beloved. Glenn had said even Cornelia’s black magic that chained the two of them together could not fix that injury. 

Nor could it fix the far-off glazed look she would often get when she was “alone”. He had seen it in people before; those that would drown themselves in vengeance, or something worse Goddess forbid.

Thankfully, there were things that helped in Glenn’s moments of terror. When Glenn first arrived, it was Hapi that vouched for her; saying that she and Glenn had been close friends before the Fraldarius woman’s “death”. Whenever things got too intense, she would go to Hapi. She was one of the few people since the late King that could bring a smile to Glenn’s face. 

“He shall continue to ask about me and not find answers.” Glenn finally responded to what Yuri had said literally minutes ago. That’s what happened when she got into one of her funks. 

What he said next didn’t help. “So was Felix Fraldarius.” It came out more like a whisper than anything else. 

Her face transformed, slowly at first. It started out with that far away look in her eyes she would get when thinking of the past. Then it formed into something cold, shut off from the rest of the world. It was not like how she looked when Lambert’s child bugged her. Yuri would be worried for the next Duke’s safety if not for the fact she rarely, if ever, left the Abyss. Instead of answer, she just shut off even to him, clearly indicating that she did not want to be bothered, that he was to leave if he wanted to see the sun rise the next day.

It was only later, after the Chalice of Beginnings incident, that the darkness that had been held within her for so long had been snapped out of her heart. Hapi and Balthus spent days trying to get her out of Cornelia’s grasp; tried every spell and potion they could think of. Constance and Yuri even threw their minds into the ring. When Glenn had attempted to rush up to the surface to kill herself or take out Lambert’s child and her younger brother, they knew it was time to break the curse. 

While the spell was broken, a permanent burn mark ringed her neck like a collar that would never be released. Nevertheless, she stayed in the Abyss; the only thing causing her to flee the monastery was the outbreak of war. Yuri knew that Edelgard was always suspicious, Rhea just rarely listened to him when it came to the important things it seemed. 

“What will the two of you do?” Balthus asked Hapi and Glenn. The two young women were standing across from their small group; Constance and Yuri on either side of the taller man. It was time for all of them to take their leave, Abyss no longer safe for the lot of them. Yuri just hoped Edelgard wouldn’t hurt the people that couldn’t leave Abyss; those that were either too old or too ill. Perhaps she would forget it was there? 

He just couldn’t do much good for them dead, so it was off to the wind for him. 

Glenn pulled the hood of her cloak tighter round her face. Of course, Edelgard would start the damn war in the middle of winter. Around them, snow gently fell even if they were actually too far south for that kind of weather. Of course, Glenn was probably used to it. “We have to stay hidden from Cornelia. We don’t know how things will play out in the Kingdom so we plan to just stay under the radar.” It was true. Both of them were wanted women by one of the most snake like witches on the continent. 

Hapi nodded at Glenn’s explanation, only shifting a little closer. Well, there wasn’t much that they could do to change their minds. The lot of them said their quiet goodbyes, drifting apart slowly; knowing in their hearts that sooner or later they would see each other again. 

~’~

_1185_

She was 29 years old when she returned to the monastery. Her and Hapi knew it was time. Well, Glenn had a vision; her seer abilities kicking in one night. That, and Hapi felt the other Ashen Wolves energies congregating. 

Expecting the church to have been abandoned completely after the Archbishops disappearance, and for Abyss to be sparsely populated, both women were shocked to find the last people they were expecting roaming about near the front gate. 

“Chatterbox? You’re alive?” It was Dimitri and Felix’s professor. Glenn had never met the quiet woman personally, but they had briefly walked by one another once or twice before the war. It had been rumored that she perished in the battle; yet as miraculous as her Crest was, there she stood before them. 

There was a part of Glenn that wondered if Byleth knew of Glenn’s true identity. It would make sense, even if Glenn constantly wore a mask. There was just something about the other woman that she could not quite place. Either way, there were things that started to rush through Glenn’s mind, and apparently Hapi was thinking the same thing.

“Wait. If you are here, then that means…” She trailed off, both of them looking over Byleth’s shoulder towards the large entrance hall at the front of the academy. Walking by, Glenn could spot Felix, older and wiser; a scowl permanently etched onto his handsome features. It caused a pit of something she could not place to form in her stomach. Behind her ivory colored mask, tears slipped down her eyes. So, he had survived, unlike Dimitri who she had heard about on her way to the monastery. That had been hard for her; to know that she could not even save Lambert’s child, the one that she was supposed to serve when he took the crown. 

In the few seconds they stood there, a face Glenn thought she would definitely never see again walked down the front steps towards the small market. “More fighters?” 

Gustave Eddie Dominic, though apparently now he went by Gilbert. For whatever reason, she was unsure. His appearance made her shift backwards, standing slightly behind Hapi who she allowed to speak for them. It was…was hard to see all these faces from Glenn’s past. She thought of those few weeks before the war broke out; where she nearly killed Felix and Dimitri herself. 

Byleth nodded. “This is Hapi. She was a part of the Ashen Wolves before the war. And this is the Seer from the Abyss.” The way Gilbert’s eyes seemed to focus on her caused Glenn to break out into a hard sweat, not knowing why he looked at her in such a fashion. 

It was Hapi that broke the silence, while Glenn watched Felix and Sylvain glance over in their direction before disappearing back towards the chapel part of the grounds. Odd, but she didn’t dwell on it. “So what are you all doing here?” 

What they said next stunned Glenn. 

Gilbert explained that they decided to fight back. They were going to fight the Empire using gorilla warfare; a small elite unit to take it battle by battle until they could face Edelgard one on one. 

In theory, it could work. 

“I had tracked Dimitri here. That is the main reason we decided to fight back. While he is…recovering, if we can take back Faerghus, it will make the road to over throwing the Empire that much easier.”

“What?” 

Glenn barely caught that last bit, but she heard Dimitri’s name loud and clear. Behind her mask, she was warring with a thousand different emotions. Parts of her wondered if Gilbert was joking, cruel but a joke nonetheless. There were other parts that were hopeful. Clearly neither Gilbert nor Byleth thought she would speak. They were both taken a back, Gilbert hesitantly repeating what he said. Clearly he had forgotten the sound of Glenn’s voice because he didn’t question her identity further when she rushed past; all of them simply following her as she ran to where Gilbert said Dimitri had taken refuge. 

He was alive. 

Her last living link to Lambert. Dimitri was alive! She hadn’t broken the promise to her beloved!

As fast as she could, she ran the direct line to the chapel; streaming past Felix and the others who she heard joined the group sprinting after her. None of that mattered though, as tunnel minded as she was. She knew that her father would want her to finally speak with Felix, to tell him she was alive. 

All she could think about was confirming Lambert’s son was breathing. 

The moment she burst through the double doors; there he was; not 100 feet away. There was no mistaking it. Even if he had grown to be his father’s height in the five years during the war, that was Dimitri.

The noise of them entering the older worship space caused his fathers mantle that was resting on his shoulders to tense up, his head turning ever so slightly to see what all the commotion was. When he spotted her, there was just a low gruff noise; a huff of a wounded and cautious animal. He wasn’t dead. He wasn’t dead! 

“I already told you to leave me.” It was clear that what she had scried when he visited her as the seer was correct. The fires of the Eternal Flame had consumed his mind. 

Meanwhile, all Glenn could do was slowly walk towards him. When he heard that the footsteps were growing closer, Dimitri turned further. “I have no idea who you are, but leave me!” 

She reached up and pulled her mask off, leaving her in her light armor and old cape. When their eyes met, there was nothing but suspicion at first. Perhaps she had haunted his dreams ever since her “death”. Perhaps a hundred thousand other things. But after a few moments, and her stepping ever so closer, that guarded look turned pained. 

“Glenn?” He whimpered. Behind her, she heard her brother’s own pained noise. Gilbert himself gasped. 

“It’s me Dimitri. It’s truly me. I’m really here.” There was no way he would believe her right away so she grabbed the small dagger at her hip, bleeding her hand to prove her point. When red liquid dripped from the injury, that seemed to appease his wounded and hurt mind in the moment. They fell into one another’s arms and the rest of the world seemed to fade away. His large hand cupped her cheek, brushing tears that belonged to both of them away from her face. 

“How?” He sobbed. Glenn copied his movements, using her unbloodied hand on his face. He looked so much like Lambert it killed her. But she knew it was atonement for all she had done in her life. If she had to stare at Dimitri’s face for the rest of her life she would; especially if it could make up for letting Lambert die. 

Sobbing just as hard, Glenn held onto him tighter. “It was Cornelia. I just wanted to be of use. I just wanted to help those that I loved more dearly,” She didn’t bring up Lambert in that moment, the wound still too fresh even for her. “She said she could help me; but she bound me to her, cursed me. I was supposed to die that day in the tundra with Lambert but she found me. Hapi and I have been hiding from her this entire time.” 

After that, the two of them were nearly inseparable. Dimitri explained that he had lost her once, that he wouldn’t do it again even if it cost him his life. Meanwhile, she explained her promise to Lambert; that she had already been sworn to Dimitri. Now she could do what she had been avoiding for so long. 

Her reunion with Felix had been later that day; far more subdued than her grasping to Dimitri, but no less emotionally charged. Felix himself had ended up sobbing into her shoulder as they held onto one another. For so long they thought they had lost one another; and he made it very clear how he hated her obsession and devotion to the late king and Dimitri, but he said he would never leave her alone again. Wherever she went, he would follow. 

Not long after that, Rodrigue made his way to the monastery. 

~’~

Of course her father would nearly give his life to save Dimitri before the two of them could be reunited. It was engrained in their blood, her and her fathers, to protect the Blaiddyd bloodline; to never allow harm to come to the royal family. They threw their lives into it. 

Clearly that trait skipped Felix; he screamed at and cursed out their father when they finally returned to the monastery, thankfully all alive and relatively unharmed considering the extent of the battle. 

Once Glenn allowed Felix to get what he needed to get out of his system, and the rest of their observers faded, she turned to her father. Tears were already streaming down his face, eyes locked on the stab wound she got in her shoulder when protecting Rodrigue who had in turn been blocking the attack from Dimitri. “Glenn.” It was a whisper, a prayer. 

She nodded, tears of her own forming. “Father.” The response was equally as quiet; but when he started to walk towards her, she fell to the floor fully sobbing. 

“I’m so sorry.” Glenn all but screamed. “I couldn’t protect him out there in the desert! I didn’t save him!” He knew exactly who she was talking about, gently kneeling and pulling her up so she wasn’t prostrate on the ground. 

When she caught her father’s eyes again, her face crumbled. There was no anger there, no judgement. “We all miss Lambert; you know I cannot lie to you.” Glenn let out a broken sob, letting her hair curtain her face as her head fell forwards. It lasted only moments before her father cupped her face. He was still crying as he tilted her chin up. “But I am just happy my Gladiolus is alive. I thought I had lost my little flower that day.” His arms wrapped tightly around her.

For the first time, since before Lambert’s death, she felt like there was a future waiting for her. 

~’~

_1186_

The war was over. 

They had all survived, and somehow the war was over. 

It didn’t take long for them all to head back to Fhirdiad. Well, Glenn and Hapi were only temporarily staying; wanting to wait for Dimitri’s coronation before they set out. It also gave Glenn some time to wrap up lose ends; things that she thought would go to the grave with her nearly ten cycles prior. 

So she had called for her father, brother, and Dimitri. They met her in Dimitri’s new study; the one that had been his fathers so long ago. 

“There isn’t much that I wish to say.” She started, Dimitri seating beside her; her father across from them and Felix leaning against the window on the opposite side of the room. It was such a familiar set up that it made her let out a small chuckle. “I just…I just wanted to inform you all that I will be leaving with Hapi soon, after the coronation.” Dimitri sighed but nodded. “And that I-“ Suddenly her voice left her. Why was it so hard? She knew her true feelings in her heart. Perhaps she didn’t want to bring it up with Dimitri there? Everything was still so raw for him. But…but she knew she had to push on. 

“If I had to, I would make the same deal with someone like Cornelia to keep you all safe. I just want you to remember that.” 

She smiled, making Felix’s stomach twist in frustration. “And I would do the same thing for you,” Glenn started back up; her beautiful eyes falling shut as the corner of her lips quivered. It nearly looked as though she was about to burst into tears; and Felix hated how Dimitri wrapped his large arm around her shoulders. “I would gladly put my life down for you; so you can be happy, so you can keep living.” 

It was all so damn stupid. “Well that would make me really fucking mad you idiot.” He bit back, hoping to get a response out of his older sister. However, she just chuckled. He watched as she opened her eyes, staring at her glove covered palms that sat in her lap. It was just a little after she revealed who she was those few months ago that he found out they had been gifts from the late King, the gloves that is. 

“That is the funny thing about love Felix.” His eyes diverted up and away as she took his hands in hers. Nevertheless, she continued to speak at him. “The more you love someone, the more dangerous the situation it becomes. You are more and more willing to run headfirst into the Eternal Flames just to keep that person safe; the same way I did nearly a decade ago for Lambert.” 

All of them sat quietly waiting for her to continue. Felix had sort of jumped right in when she first began, berating her though the three others knew that it was out of love, not out of true anger. Rodrigue and Felix watched closely, seeing Dimitri lean in and whisper something into her ear. It didn’t sound like much; perhaps just telling her it was ok and she was safe there. 

Glenn took a deep breath, holding it in for three counts then letting it stream from her lips like a whistle. 

“I wanted…I wanted to tell you that,” She paused again, clearly not being able to find the exact words she wanted to use to finish the sentence. Dimitri moved his arm from her shoulder and gave her the space she needed. After a few more seconds of silence, she turned towards the new King of Faerghus. “Do you remember that day all those years ago, at the garden at the side of the castle; the herb garden if I remember correctly?”

It must have been a day Felix and Rodrigue were still in Fraldarius territory cause neither of them knew what she was talking about. 

But Dimitri clearly did. He nodded, letting her finish her thought. “I was vomiting and you took me to see Cornelia. Of course, I didn’t let you come in…I knew what was wrong with me but I didn’t want you worrying nor telling your father. He would have forbidden me from going to Duscur with him; and he would have told my father.” She motioned wither her head to the other couch where the Duke was sitting. All the while, Dimitri stared; unwavering in his attention. 

Clearly, he was seeing something from the past, seeing the picture she had painted for him. With each passing moment, more and more color drained from his face. He was obviously understanding as of yet unspoken words. “I think you remember…I think you are starting to remember those memories that had been blocked out of your mind for so long Dimitri.” 

Her saying his name had him bolting up from the couch, covering his mouth with his hand as he turned away from her. Dramatically, he slapped his hand against the glass of the window; bending nearly double. It was then that she turned towards her father and her brother. 

“Glenn. Please tell us. What has you and his highness so upset?” Rodrigue grabbed at her hand and Felix watched her. Her big eyes were downcast, staring at the clasped limbs between them. There was a beat and then another and then she spoke and broke the spell that had fallen over the room. 

“I was pregnant with the late king’s child. A girl.” 

Felix did not quite comprehend what was being said to her at first. He blinked, blinked, and blinked again, thinking that perhaps she was joking; that perhaps Lysethia used her black magic right before the four of them met in the room and Glenn was nothing but an illusion. 

Yet, no matter how hard he blinked, Glenn was still seated there just like she had been minutes before. Dimitri was standing by the window, though he had whipped around and was now staring at her with a wild look in his eye. It wasn’t anger pointed at her; perhaps a version of sadness, of melancholy. 

Felix would have had a nephew. He looked over at his father, silent tears streaming down the old man’s cheeks. He would have had a grandson. Dimitri would have had a brother. “Half Fraldarius, half Blaiddyd. I believe even though I did not tell him, Lambert knew at the end. I think he just did not want to upset me by denying me the ability to protect him in Duscur. Of course neither of us thought we would be ambushed near the border; so there should have been no danger by allowing me to go with him.”

The two Fraldarius men were stunned speechless. How had they not known? 

Dimitri knelt down beside her, frantically grabbing her hand when he spoke again. “What happened to the baby? You were not showing when the Tragedy of Duscur occurred.” 

She cupped his cheek and brushed the bone beneath his bad eye. “That day when the knights created the funeral pyres, everyone’s body burned but mine.” Her father looked as though he were going to be sick when she explained what happened that day. “When I woke up, I was beneath ash and bones; beneath burning chunks of flesh and muscle.” It was Dimitri’s turn to look nauseous. Felix steeled himself to listen to the rest of the story. “I…I remember seeing Lambert’s face.” Glenn stopped for a second and let out a broken sob; covering her face with her hands. 

“That’s when I freaked out. I pushed everyone away and scrambled out of the pile of bodies; and I honestly thought I was in hell. There was just snow and tundra and ash for miles around; that is until I spotted Cornelia. She had come after the fires died down. That’s how I survived, because of the binding spell she placed on me a few years prior. At that point, she took whatever was left of the baby in my stomach; however small the amount of matter it was.” 

“When I saw Lambert again, I just broke down. I couldn’t breathe; I was crying and crying and sobbing, my legs gave out and I couldn’t move. The entire time I was there in the snow, Cornelia spoke so softly to me. I remember that much. She explained to me that there was a way to bring him back, and I believed her. Anyway, to have Lambert by my side again; I would do anything. So I told her that.” 

“That was when she gouged my uterus out before beheading Lambert.” Dimitri did break out into tears at that. He sobbed, bowing his head and pressing his face into her free hand. That was when Felix felt sick. That was what broke him as well. He hid the tears well enough as she continued. “She explained that she could use a strange form of magic called alchemy to bring him back.” 

“That’s why-that’s why Lambert was like that when we fought his corpse; getting the capitol back. He was the product of human alchemy.” 

Bringing her free hand up to cover her face, she broke out into hardened sobs; near wailing. “Oh Goddess I’m so sorry. It was all my fault. It was all my fault!” Glenn screamed, curling in on herself further and further. 

Dimitri all but pushed his face into her stomach, whispering only the Goddess knew what; all the while Felix watched in heart broken silence. Their father shook his head rapidly. “No. None of that is your fault Glenn. My darling.” His father stood beside her and hugged her head into his chest. “You were heartbroken and in love. It is all over now.” 

Felix couldn’t argue with that. None of it had bene Glenn’s fault. She had always been burdened with the weight of protecting the King. She loved him and she thought she failed him. Felix shook his own head as the two other men held her. That gave him the chance to catch her eye. 

“You are safe now Glenn.” He whispered and she seemed to understand the unspoken apology on his behalf; catching the tears in his own eyes. “You are safe now.” 

~’~

The coronation was beautiful, just as she thought it would be. Dimitri was dressed in his father’s old royal armor; the same ones he would wear when riding into battle. It made Glenn’s heart twist where she was watching near the back with Hapi by her side. There were so many memories, bittersweet now that she had that talk with her father, Dimitri, and Felix. But he was just as handsome as Lambert had been. 

“You ready to go Gladi?” Hapi asked by her side. The two of them were in their same attire they had been traveling in during the war; Glenn having taken up wearing her mask yet again, the long cloaks covering up the rest of their appearance. 

Hapi had started up calling her that after Glenn explained where her name came from. Her mother’s favorite flowers had always been Gladiolus’s; so Rodrigue and Anya had named their first child by a derivative of the flower. 

Glenn’s eyes caught Dimitri’s; a sad…yet strangely hopeful expression flittering across his face. The two of them nodded at one another, and she turned towards Hapi. “Yeah. Let’s go.” 

So the two of them set off, spreading their wings and seeing where the wind would take them; now free of any binds that once held them down. 


End file.
